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Domestic abuse survivors living in social housing would be able to stay in their homes while the perpetrator is made to leave, under a measure the government tabled for the Social Housing Bill on Tuesday 20 October. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says it would be the first time survivors are protected in social housing law without having to flee.
The amendment is one part of a wider package announced the same day. It also covers a simpler Right to Manage for council tenants, more time for councils to buy homes before they leave the social sector, new duties on homelessness, and Freedom of Information rules for some tenant run housing bodies.
At a Glance
- A new measure tabled for the Social Housing Bill on 20 October would stop survivors having to prove abuse again where a protection order is already in place.
- The Bill was introduced to Parliament on 14 May 2026, and the amendments will be tabled as it moves through its Commons stages.
- The notification period for social housing disposals would double from four weeks to eight, giving councils and housing associations longer to consider buying homes.
- The government expects the wider package to keep an additional 18,000 homes in the social sector over the next decade.
- From April 2027, Tenant Management Organisations that manage council housing would come under Freedom of Information rules.
How Survivors Would Keep Their Tenancy
At the heart of the announcement is a problem that has long forced difficult choices. A survivor living in a shared social home can face a stark decision, stay with an abusive partner, or leave and lose the home, the community and the support network that come with it. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said in the announcement that no survivor should have to make that choice, and that the law is being changed “so the perpetrator, not the survivor, can be made to leave”.
The amendment works by strengthening the discretionary possession grounds already in the Bill's domestic abuse tenancy reforms. Under the change, the existence of a relevant protective order would be enough for the court to consider taking action. Survivors would not have to prove the abuse a second time where an order is already in place.
The government says this builds on reforms already in the Bill that protect joint tenancies from abusive partners. Rayner said abusers would no longer be able to use a shared home “as a weapon of control”, and that survivors would get certainty that their tenancy and their social home are protected.
How the Domestic Abuse Route Would Work
- A protective order must already exist against the perpetrator before the new provision is relevant.
- The existence of that order would be enough for a court to consider taking action, so the survivor does not have to prove abuse again.
- The possession grounds are discretionary, which means the court decides whether to act rather than being required to.
- The aim set out by the government is that the perpetrator leaves while the survivor keeps their tenancy and stays in the home.
More Power for Tenants Through a Simpler Right to Manage
The second strand of the package is about how council homes are run day to day. The government plans to modernise the social housing Right to Manage framework, which allows local authority tenants to take responsibility for housing services through a Tenant Management Organisation. It is separate from the Right to Manage open to qualifying leaseholders.
The amendments promise clearer and more proportionate governance requirements, stronger information sharing requirements and new safeguards where serious failures put residents at risk. The stated aim is to give residents a clearer route to demand better when repairs, maintenance and communal services fall short. Rayner said the changes put “power back in tenants’ hands”.
Tenant Management Organisations are also set to become more open. The government confirmed that from April 2027 those that manage council housing will be brought under Freedom of Information rules. Residents would then be able to request information on services such as repairs, estate management and rent collection.
What the Social Housing Bill Changes for Councils and Right to Buy
Councils and housing associations are affected in several ways. On disposals, the notification period would be extended from four weeks to eight, and the notification would carry extra property information, including the type of rent the home was previously let at. The government says this gives councils and housing associations twice as long to consider buying homes before they leave the sector.
For Tenants and Survivors
- Survivors with a protective order would not have to prove abuse again for a court to consider action.
- Council tenants would get a modernised Right to Manage with clearer governance rules.
- Residents could use Freedom of Information requests on Tenant Management Organisations from April 2027.
- Veterans could seek homelessness support from any council in England regardless of local connection rules.
For Councils and Housing Associations
- Councils would get twice as long to consider buying social homes before disposal.
- Councils could designate eligible rural areas themselves to exempt them from Right to Buy.
- Housing associations would have to offer suitable homes to households referred by councils unless they have good reason not to.
- Key public bodies would have a new duty to identify households at risk of homelessness and act together.
On rural areas, the government notes that affordable homes can be particularly hard to replace in rural communities. Councils are currently required to apply formally to government to designate an area exempt from Right to Buy. Under the amendments, they could designate eligible rural areas themselves against specified criteria, which the government says would reduce bureaucracy. Taken with the wider reforms, it expects an additional 18,000 homes to stay in the social sector over the next decade.
New Duty to Collaborate Aims to Tackle Homelessness Earlier
The Bill would also try to catch homelessness before it happens. A new statutory “Duty to Collaborate” would require key public bodies to take proactive steps to identify households at risk and take coordinated action to prevent homelessness or address it sooner.
A companion “Duty to Offer” would require a private registered provider, such as a housing association, to offer suitable accommodation to a homeless household referred by a local housing authority, unless it has a good reason not to. The announcement describes this as being in addition to the government's £442 million investment to tackle rough sleeping.
Armed forces veterans are singled out. The Bill would give the Secretary of State a power to set out circumstances where local connection referrals must not apply, and the government says it intends to use that power so veterans can seek homelessness support from any council in England.
When Will the Social Housing Bill Changes Take Effect?
The National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing both welcomed the measures in statements published with the announcement. Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said housing associations strongly support the new powers to protect survivors' ability to remain safely in their homes, and noted that almost 180,000 children are growing up in temporary accommodation. Rachael Williamson of the Chartered Institute of Housing said the strengthened protections for survivors reflect the importance of people not being forced to choose between safety and a home.
The government backs the package with what it describes as £39 billion of investment in council, social and affordable housing, the biggest in a generation. The amendments themselves have not yet been through the Commons. They will be tabled as the Social Housing Bill progresses through its Commons stages, so the detail could still change before the Bill becomes law.
The announcement does not set out a timetable for when the domestic abuse provisions would take effect. Only one date is confirmed in the source material, the extension of Freedom of Information rules to Tenant Management Organisations from April 2027.
Key Takeaways
- Amendments to the Social Housing Bill would let survivors keep their social tenancy while the perpetrator is made to leave, without proving abuse again where a protective order exists.
- The Right to Manage for council tenants would be modernised, with clearer governance rules and new safeguards where serious failures put residents at risk.
- Councils and housing associations would get eight weeks, rather than four, to consider buying social homes before they are disposed of.
- New Duty to Collaborate and Duty to Offer provisions aim to prevent homelessness earlier, with veterans able to seek help from any council in England.
- The amendments have yet to pass the Commons, and the only confirmed date so far is April 2027 for Freedom of Information rules to apply to Tenant Management Organisations.
Sources & Further Reading
- GOV.UK: Domestic abusers face eviction as survivors gain housing rights Archived copy (OGL): archived page